Jenson Button, McLaren
“I spent the qualifying session talking to the mechanics and playing yo-yo - jumping in and out of the car, just in case the track conditions improved enough for us to run. Moving qualifying to Sunday won’t really change my preparations: it just means it will be a bit closer to the race itself, and that we’ll be at the track earlier on Sunday morning. But it won’t be a problem to focus on both quali and the race in a single day. It’s far tougher for the mechanics: they worked tirelessly overnight and they’ll have to work really hard to prep the car between quali and the race. For the drivers, it’s less of a problem - it’s actually quite fun to have something a bit different to do. The circuit is likely to be drier tomorrow. It’s not supposed to be raining, just wet from overnight showers. So I feel pretty sure we’ll be able to run, and that we’ll have qualifying. This is a big shame for the fans - they’ve not seen us drive today, which is very disappointing for them. But there’s nothing we can do in conditions like these: you’re not actually driving the car, you’re floating!”
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Formula 1: Japanese Grand Prix - Second Practice Results
Formula 1: Rain Postpones Final Qualifying at Suzuka
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Lewis Hamilton, McLaren
“I like going out in the wet, but in order to keep the tyre temperatures up, you need to be going at a sufficient speed to be able to work the brakes properly. I was aquaplaning all the time - I couldn’t get to full throttle. I couldn’t even use half-throttle! They’re some of the worst conditions I’ve ever experienced in Formula One - rivers flowing from one side of the track to the other. And with so much torque, even in fourth gear, the rear would light up, so you were trying to push gently to avoid losing heat in the tyres. It was a good call by the stewards to defer qualifying today. The more driving I do, the happier I am. I’ve done hardly any driving all weekend, so I’m really looking forward to tomorrow! I don’t have any expectations: bearing in mind the limited time I’ve had on the track, I want to get through qualifying safely, get a good grid position and score as many points as I can. It’s unfortunate for all the fans - but I think tomorrow will be an exceptional day.”
Timo Glock, Virgin
“Free Practice Three was very difficult this morning because there was so much standing water and rivers of rain running across the track. Jaime Alguersuari and I were the only drivers to record timed laps, so we had a little more track time but there wasn’t much to learn in those conditions. Tomorrow could be very exciting, so we’ll do everything we can to make the most of every opportunity the situation might present.”
Nick Heidfeld, BMW Sauber
“Aquaplaning with a Formula One car is basically the same as with any other car - you become a passenger. We could go with a higher ride height in order to avoid aquaplaning, which happens because of the car’s floor, but when you have a certain amount of water on the track the tyres are floating as they can’t push the water aside. Another big safety issue is the visibility in the spray. If you have 24 cars on the track in Q1 and one spins no driver would have the chance to see it and avoid crashing into it.”
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